Not a horrible wrap-up but squandering a lot of potential, especially given the length of the episode. Feels empty to me.

The ending of the main story line for "Cheers", not a large number of resolutions or clever insertions.

When "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" set a standard for the "great finale", tons of shows later rushed into the fray to be "significant" at their close. The "Cheers" installment falls a little short for me.

To me, it's a little too bad as I really liked this program as a high mark for ensemble comedy. In the final analysis, too much happens early here, and not enough happens late. Diane is back, but the scenes on the airplane are pat, the "voices" heard over the intercom echo something fans have heard and heard and heard before. Rebecca could have been a great wild card in this story, but she is packed off with a new fiance without much treatment. But to me, where the episode is most weak is the final 20 minutes - despite some mediocre wrap-ups, a LOT of time is spent on Cliff's "history is made by men in comfortable shoes" bit, not terrible but not much of a final send-off all-in-all. If Norm, Carla, Cliff, Frasier, and Sam are really smoking cigars and wondering about the meaning of life - there could have been something more on the mark to wind it up.

Sam's final closing words, "we're closed" is pretty appropriate, but in a lot of ways this installment closed far earlier.

Parts of the Finale I really loved and it rang true, other parts not so much

I thought the finale stayed true to who the characters were and it made sense . That is, except for Sam in one respect. The finale made it appear like Sam did not love Diane , maybe he no longer loved her like he did in Season 5 season finale but that needed more clarification for me. If you go back to that episode, he loved Diane enough to let her go to puruse her dreams when he really wanted to marry her. He knew she would not return but yet he was apparently so upset about her depature as we see in Seaon 6 that he sold his beloved Bar and set sail around the world. He only returned when his boat sank and he was out of cash and needed a job. That shows the man was clearly torn about losing Diane. Granted maybe he grew and changed in 6 years but then why bring Diane back at all in the Finale to have them just break up again? And some critics have said the one character who did not seem to mesh with the Diane that viewers knew and loved or hated was the Diane of the finale. She was almost unrecognizable except for her speech at the award ceremony. She had few interactions with anyone but Sam even though during her time on the show, Diane was always concerned about the other patrons and employees and was always reaching out to them and trying to help them. She seemed disconnected from them plus they were all very cold and not just Carla. Carla stayed true to form. But Woody had adored Miss Chambers but in the finale but was very matter of fact and he did not seem all that happy to see her. Norm and Cliff ignored her when she tried to talk to them.

I often wonder if some of this was done on purpose by the writers because they had begged Shelly to stay on the show and I read where they even offered her a half million dollar raise to stay but she wanted to move on. Interestingly during the 30th reunion party , Ted and Shelly were the ones doing the long interviews together. Ted said Shelly carried the show the first few seasons. He said there was never a character like Diane on TV before her. Most o what people remember from that show that are not ardent fans but more casual fans, after all these years is Sam and Diane. But Diane's role on the finale was over before the finale 20 minutes. Again, why bring back Shelly for this, I found little meaning in her return. I had waited six years for her return and I was disappointed. She and Sam did not need to stay together but once again, show that clip from Season 5 of Sam and Diane as old people dancing together to give us a hint that maybe these two find their way back to each other when elderly as many Sam and Diane fans I have talked to the past 20 years are very disappointed in anyway, I thought they wasted Shelly in the finale and that ending for them was lame. I wanted Diane to move back to Boston and leave it open ended for Sam and her but she could have said she was returning to get more inspiration and work there for a few years to get some story ideas as Carla inspired her award winning work. I wanted the entire cast in the bar at the end and then Sam part was fitting. But it seemed so off that Rebecca and Diane were not in the bar near the end where we saw both ladies first in Cheers.

But the scenes with Frasier, Carla, Woody, Cliff, Norm were perfection.

I think of Cheers as two separate Part Diane years and Cheers Part Rebecca years. I was also disappointed that Lilith was not in the was one of the only reasnos I watched once Diane for Lilith or Norm.

Good ending...not great. I was glad to see Sam make the right choice, and the last minutes with Norm and Sam are a perfect way to end it.... "Sorry, we're closed"

Great show, and a satisfactory ending for a great show.... The last couple minutes with Norm and Sam really impressed me as a way to send off a show... with Norms piece of advice really hitting home with Sam. It for the most part tied up loose ends, but we are still wondering what happens to Sam, but thats the way the writers intended it to be. "Sorry, we're closed." priceless

Gave us one more "One for the Road" Great ending.

Ater 11 year 275 episodes, Cheers really had to be the best ending for all. Some thought he should haved gotten the girl. But, they gave us a since that Love for something you Babied for years. Can be good enough. Can trully be fullfilling. They gave all the Viewers "One for the Road" . Something to think about for years. If you can not take care of what you have been given, why should you deserve anything else. So for me they all gave us 11 years of somegthing that was trully babied, Thanks to the cast, writters, directors and prodoction companies. He got what he really Loved. Thank you

One For the Road

This was an interesting show from the beginning to end, I use to watch it on reruns on WPIX (Channel 11, New York City), with all the other repeats. I liked this show because it really wasnt like your typical bar. Although I never did the bar scene (I heard horror stories), if more bars (hole in the wall style) bars existed, I might do something like that. I think the Simpsons (Moes Tavern) resembles something like Cheers, but we really dont know who Homer could relate to. Norm maybe?

If you want to end a show as great as cheers was then this is the way to end it.

The show starts with the bar watching an award show and there they see Diane Chambers reciving an award. After seeing her Sam sends her a card congratulating her and after it is reveald that they both lied about being married they get back together. After saying to the regulars that the bar is not there home he gets on a plane and it is reveled that sam does not want to leave the bar and says goodbye to Diane and goes back to cheers where first rebecca goes on her honeymoon and the rest of the bar share's in a smoke with Sam one by one the regulars leave the bar after each one disscuses the meaning of life that leads to Norm say that the meaning of life is love and telling sam that you will always come back to your true love as he leaves the bar and doesn't finish his drink another man comes towards the bar as Sam walk into the back and says "sorry were closed" and walks away. The whole episode closed up all the holes like what became of Diane and opened up the spin of Fraiser. This was the best episode of any of the 270 episodes

THE BEST FINALE OF ANY TV SERIES EVER!

This series finale was all anyone could ever expect from a television sitcom. Diane returns, Rebecca finally finds her man (in a plumber), Norm gets a job, Cliff gets a promotion, and the series ends in the most fantastic of all fashions. This episode had me laughing until I cried, then crying because the show I've most adored was ending. I have never (nor will ever love) a show as I have 'Cheers.' This finale had anything and everything anyone could have ever expected from a show. The scene, at the end, when the main character from the cast were all sitting around and talking about 'the meaning of life' is incomparable. Without a doubt, the most wonderful series finale in the history of television.

This was a great finale to Cheers.In this episode Diane returns to Cheers with a husband.Sam trying to lie to Diane uses Rebecca as a fake wife.At the end they both lied to each other. Now Sam has a choice stay in the bar or move with Diane. Great finale.

When people say Frasier is better then Cheer's I sort of disagree. Cheers was awesome, it was a place where everybody knew your name. The Finale was great also.

After Diane Chambers wins an award for a script, Sam goes to congratulate her. He tells her to come to Boston. She tells him that she has a husband, and kids. Sam not wanting Diane to know that he doesn't have a wife or kids, uses Rebecca who accidently refused her boyfriends engagement.

At the Top of Melvilles. When suddenly Rebbecca's boyfriend comes back upstairs and proposes in front of Diane and her boyfriend. It turns embarassing for Sam when Rebecca accepts. Then the Boyfriend of Diane's husband appears. We realize that they were both lying to each other.

So Diane and Sam realize they still have feelings for each other. Diane asks Sam to come with her to California and he agrees. He tells Norm, Cliff, Carla, Rebecca, Woody, and Frasier that he's leaving to go with Diane. They all tell him not to leave but Sam refuses and actually insults all of them and goes on the plane with Diane anyway.

On the Plane he decides that it isn't right going with Diane. So he decides to go back to the bar and Diane tels him to go. So they say their final goodbyes. Sadly Sam returns to the bar in the Final scene and goes to apologize to his Old Friends but they refuse and leave. Sam is by himself sad, but suddenly they all return only pulling Sam's strings.

They all talk about life, kids, and beer. Slowly each of them leave the bar one by one. Each of them telling Sam to have a good life. However the last person leaving the bar is Norm (no surprise) he tells Sam "You never leave your true love" after drinking one final beer and Norm leaves Cheers.

In the Last amazing scene Sam see's a customer knocking on the door, his face covered in darkness. Sam responds "Sorry, We're closed". He then head to the backroom, before he does he fixes a crooked picture (representing Coach) on the wall. Then he goes and leaves the bar through darkness he first came into the bar in the First season.

Awesome Finale, Probably the best sitcom Finale. I loved the scene where the guy walked by and Sam said "Sorry we are closed." Great touch and great ending!

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